


Snapshots

by wanderingwonderer



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Domestic Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Humor, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2020-01-31 17:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18596011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderingwonderer/pseuds/wanderingwonderer
Summary: YN Evans, cousin to Lily Evans, daughter of an Auror and a Professor (divorced), and student at Beauxbatons, until events mean that she has to transfer to Hogwarts. Quick snippets of her life and interactions with her cousin, her mother, and the boy that would become the love of her life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, look at me. Over here with reader inserts. I was Tumblr surfing and this idea came to me so I had to word vomit on my Notes app. I'll probably add more at some point. 
> 
> I changed things slightly, so that Lily's aunt (Reader's mother) is actually involved in the wizarding world/is a witch but I HC that Lily's parents wanted to keep it a secret from Lily as long as possible, up to the point Lily discovered she had magic. I've got an entire chapter planned out for that one.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moments, ranging from the start of your academic career, all the way up to seventh year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: domestic abuse. Scroll past "The Summer Before Third Year" up until "Fifth Year" if you want to skip.

**Pre-First Year**

Lily lay across her bed and looked down at her cousin, heartbroken expression plain on her face. “I’m sure there’s a magical way to fit you into my luggage.”  
****

YN Evans looked back up at her cousin, eyes sad but lips pulling up at the corner as she smiled back at her cousin. “I’m sure there will be; and then I can bring you to Beauxbatons with me.”

“Only if Sev can come.”

YN’s brow furrowed. “Who’s Sev?” she asked as she flicked through the princess books her aunt and uncle had bought Lily before they’d known that wizards did actually exist, and weren’t just storybook characters.

“A friend. He’s like us. We’re going to Hogwarts together!” YN said excitedly, beaming at her cousin. “I’m sad you’re not coming though. It’ll be our first time away from each other!” Lily looked at the other eleven year old girl, with her HC hair plaited behind her head and those EC eyes. They’d been born only weeks apart, with YN being born earlier than Lily had; since then, they’d spent every waking moment together, even going to the same Muggle school.

YN’s mother was Lily’s aunt, an extremely well-known magi-archaeologist and expert on all things mysterious. Her father, an Auror, had divorced her a year ago. Something to do with her having an affair with his partner at work.

Lily suspected that Aunt Clarice needed a change of scenery and had thus decided to take herself and her daughter to France. “You will keep in touch, won’t you?”

YN’s eyes snapped from the page with the drawing of a knight rescuing a princess in a tower and up to her cousin, who stared down at her from the bed. “Of course I will, Lil.”

Lily beamed and opened her mouth to say something when Petunia barged into her room. “Oh! Hello, Pe-“

“Your friend’s here. The freak with the black hair that needs to be washed,” Petunia said sulkily before she stormed out and back to her own room.

Lily sat up and watched her sister leave with a distraught expression.

YN stood up. “What do you want to do?”

“Let’s…” Lily took a deep breath before she nodded, mind made up. “Let’s go and introduce you to Sev.”

 

**Second Year**

“Who’s that from?” Severus asked as he tried to lean over Lily’s shoulder to read her letter whilst eating a piece of toast and trying to remain hidden from the four Gryffindors who were seemingly intent on making his life a living hell.  
****

“YN. You know, this letter was addressed to _me_ , Sev. If she wanted to write to you, she would’ve done.” Lily tucked the letter close to her chest and turned to look at her friend. “Could I read it without you breathing down my neck please?’

Severus acquiesced and backed off, eyes still darting everywhere furtively as he kept a look out for his tormentors.

“Thank you,” Lily said quietly before she returned to her letter.

 

_Hi Lily!_

_So good to hear from you, although it took me a minute to realise that you were writing in English. It’s strange, not having to read and write in French; I’m even thinking in it sometimes. Guess I should expect it though..._

_I’m okay, thanks! It’s a bit lonely, I suppose - I know, I’ve been here for two years now, surely it must be a me problem, right? - but I stick out like a sore thumb! All these girls are beautiful and willowy and I’m sure they must be at least part Veela or something. And then you’ve got me. Not that I’m not proud of what I look like but… No prizes for guessing who isn’t winning a beauty queen contest in this school!_

_Mum’s okay, she’s busy teaching at one of the Ministère de la Magie universities over here. I think she’s met someone - I was at the house last weekend and she was talking to somebody called Eustace on the telephone. I don’t think much of the name, but… I suppose it’s been a couple of years since the divorce._

“What sort of name _is_ Eustace?” Severus asked, seemingly disgusted.

Lily looked at her friend and arched an eyebrow. “Do you mind?”

“Sorry.”

_Speaking of the other half of the population, that Potter kid and his cronies seem like a foul bunch. Honestly, put some of that old play-fighting we used to do into use and just punch him in the face. Don’t think Severus seems like the type to resort to physical violence, and nobody would ever suspect that you could break someone’s nose._

_I’ve got to go now, so I’ll write again soon. How are you? How are things? How are your parents? Tell me everything! I miss bacon sandwiches!_

_Love_

_YN_

Lily put the letter down and let out a content sigh, happy to have heard from her cousin.

"Wait, you've broken somebody's nose?"

 

**The Summer Before Third Year**

The bottle of wine flew past Clarice’s head and into the wall behind her. It shattered into a million pieces and the wine - a brilliant crimson colour - spilled out onto the carpeted floor.  
****

Clarice picked up a glass bowl and threw it at her husband, succeeding in hitting him on the shoulder and causing him to stumble back into the wall.

The thud of the heavy body of her stepfather hitting the wall and the ensuing silence awoke YN from her fitful sleep. She’d been witness to enough explosive arguments like this one that she could sleep through them now. She could sleep through the noise - the noise didn’t frighten her. The silence, however? The silence terrified her. Without a second thought, YN grabbed her wand, the bones of her bruised and very nearly broken fingers protesting as they curled around the wood.

No sooner than had she done that, her mother burst into the tiny bedroom. Clarice looked down at her daughter, blood trickling down one side of her face and eyes wild. “You need to leave,” she told her daughter, voice thick and words slurred from the sheer amount of alcohol she’d had to drink that night. “Go home to your dad.”

YN threw off her bedclothes and stood up, already dressed. She always went to bed dressed when she stayed at home during summer. She shoved her wand into the waistband of her jeans and looked at her mother - the wonderful but broken soul who had raised her, loved her, and cared for her for so long. “Mum, it’s okay. You’re fine. Go to bed; I’ll sort everything out. I’ll just put a sleeping draught -“

Clarice grasped her daughter’s wrists to the point where she could almost feel the bones creaking under her grip. “No! Leave. Now! I don’t want you here, YN!”

“You _need_ me here, Mum!” YN ignored the throbbing pain in her wrists; she’d had worse this week.

Clarice shook her head, red hair swinging from side to side. “No! I don’t! Go away! Go to your aunt’s house! Or your dad!”

YN blinked, eyes wide and confused. “What?”

“Go to Lily or... anybody! Even your father! You need to leave, now!”

“If I’m leaving, you’re coming with me!” she argued as she wrenched her arms out of Clarice’s grips, her talon-like nails ripping into the skin of her wrists. Blood welled up immediately, although the young witch ignored it as she grabbed her leather jacket and her bag. YN always had a bag packed, and always checked it had everything she needed before she went to sleep.

“No!” Clarice snarled. “I am staying here, with my husband!”

“He’ll kill you if I leave! Mum, come on,” YN pleaded desperately, trying to get through the alcohol to her mother’s brain. Somewhere in there, YN hoped, was the woman her mother had once been before they’d entered this hellscape.

As Clarice opened her mouth to argue with her daughter, a large shadow blocked out the light coming through the open doorway in the room.

YN swore - she’d forgotten that for an unnaturally large man, Eustace could move almost silently.

 

**Third Year - Welcoming Feast**

The hall was alive with the hubbub of a brand new year at Hogwarts; friends laughed together and caught up over pumpkin juice and piles of delicious food. Every student smiled and laughed, with not a care in the world apart from what food they should have next.  
****

James Potter may have been talking and planning with his friends, but his eyes kept on darting over to a certain redhead a few seats down at the Gryffindor table.

Sirius noticed this and rolled his eyes at his best friend. “Mate, are you crushing on Lily? On Evans?”

James’ head snapped around so he could glare at his friend. “Keep your voice down, mate! She might hear you!” he snapped in a hiss, which only caused the amused smirk on Sirius’ annoyingly handsome face to grow and his eyebrows to raise. “Also, I do not have a crush on Lily Evans.”

Remus snorted at that. “Yeah, Sirius. He’s just irrevocably in love with her,” he added just as James took a mouthful of his pumpkin juice.

Peter gave a surprised squeak when he was suddenly hit in the face by a mouthful of pumpkin juice.

This only caused Sirius to burst out laughing at the entire situation.

Lily gave the group of boys an annoyed glance, which almost caused James to swoon, before she turned back to her own friends.

The doors to the Great Hall opened without warning. Normally this wouldn’t be a cause for concern during such an event. Many students came and went during a feast, usually so they could talk about important things somewhere quieter or just to escape the overwhelming noise in general. But fifteen minutes into the welcoming feast?

Every head turned around to look at the newcomer.

Dumbledore stood to welcome the new student and clapped his hands in a sure sign that he was about to make some sort of speech.

 _Bet the poor sod will just love that,_ Sirius thought to himself as he tried to look over James’ head to get a better view of the newcomer. “Move your big head, you lovestruck idiot,” he grumbled.

“Maybe you should just take your eyes out and attach them to a stick; you might be able to be even nosier,” Remus suggested sagely.

Slow, uneven footsteps echoed in the hall as the stranger walked up to the top table. As they walked past the Marauders, Sirius could see that the stranger was in fact was female and looked to be the same age as him. His grey eyes darted across the various bruises marking her face, especially the ones on her jawline, the dark blues and purples that stood out so much against her skin. Sirius winced - he knew all too well how much those bruises would hurt.

YN turned her head and suddenly looked at the teenager with dark hair and grey eyes. She stood there, silent, for a moment - just long enough for Sirius to feel a little uncomfortable - before she turned her head back towards the front and kept limping in that direction.

Sirius’ attention was diverted from the newcomer by a loud gasp from Lily and the scrape of the bench as she stood up. “You okay, Evans?” he asked quietly as the stranger kept on walking to Dumbledore.

Lily slowly turned to look at Sirius. “That’s… that’s my cousin.”

Sirius whistled lowly. "Good looks must run in the family," Sirius said without thinking. He winced and wondered if there was a spell that could retract the words that cut through the whispers and murmurs of the Great Hall. He even put a hand over his mouth as if that would help.

YN whirled around as she heard what had been said and instinctually knew who had spoken the words.

At the top table, McGonagall wondered if it would be against school policy to use a spell to permanently _stop_ Sirius Black from being able to talk.

YN’s eyes, one of them surrounded by a large black bruise, snapped back on to Sirius. She stared at him for a moment and then her eyes flicked from him to his friends to Lily and then back again, putting things together. And when she spoke, it was in French and Sirius thought he’d never heard a sound so beautiful in his life, her voice was like a choir of angels and later on, Sirius would vehemently deny having a crush on Lily Evans' cousin. The voice, though beautiful, carried a less than friendly message. “Va te faire foutre!”

 

**Fifth Year**

"You know, you following me around all the time is just annoying," YN hissed as she pulled another book off the library shelf and sat back down at her desk.

"Actually, it's  _endearing_ ," Sirius corrected with a grin as he sat on the desk next to YN.

"No, it's  _annoying_. And use a chair if you're going to annoy me; don't sit on the table like an animal," YN muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Funny you should mention animals."

"Why? Because you follow me around like a lost puppy?"

"Funny you should mention dogs -"

"I feel like you don't know what 'funny' means, Black," YN said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "What do you  _want_?"

Sirius sat down on the chair next to YN and beamed at her. "Well, now that you ask, I would quite like to go on a date to Hogsmeade with you."

YN, still pinching the bridge of her nose, looked at Sirius suspiciously from the corner of her eye. "Oh, so you want to borrow my answers for some homework you've obviously not done? Or want to steal my revision notes for the O.W.L.s because you mislaid them  _whilst_ you were getting laid?"

"Or maybe I'm genuinely interested in you and I want to get to know you better," Sirius suggested.

YN dropped her hand and turned her gaze to Sirius. "This may be the first time I've heard you without a trace of mischief in your voice." YN looked around with a suspicious look on her face. "I don't trust you - where are your friends?"

Sirius shrugged. "Don't know. I ditched them to come and talk to you."

"Bull."

"Where?" Sirius looked over his shoulder and turned back around to look at YN with a wide grin on his face.

YN made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat and stood up, bag over one shoulder and holding her books in her arms. "You know what, when you stop sleeping with everything with a pulse and can take a conversation seriously, maybe I'll agree to go for a drink with you then," she said as she strode to the library entrance.

"Me not taking a conversation seriously? You're the one who said there was a bull in the library, Evans -"

"Don't 'Evans' me; you're not James and I'm not Lily. Also, maybe when James gets his head out of his arse, Lily will actually respect him enough to spend two minutes alone with him."

"- and there is no bull in the library so obviously, you're not taking the conversation seriously." Sirius grabbed the handle of the library door before YN could and tilted his head down to look at YN, eyes wide and imploring. "Come on, YNN, just one drink. What do you think?"

A thoughtful expression crossed YN's face and she took a breath, lips pursed slightly as she seemed to think over Sirius' question.

Sirius thought he'd died and gone to heaven when YN readjusted the books in her arms so one hand was free, which YN then used to walk her fingers up his chest and brush over his jaw.

"You really want to know what I think, Sirius?" YN whispered as she leaned in, lips almost brushing against Sirius'.

Sirius, suddenly mute, nodded.

"There might not be a bull in the library... but I can certainly smell the shit." With that, YN pushed Sirius away from her and left the library.

 

**Seventh Year**

Sirius threw himself down onto the couch and lay his head on top of the book in YN’s lap. “Hello.”

“Have I ever told you how annoying you are?” she asked wearily.

“Oh, every day for the past few years.” Sirius gave YN a winning smile. “You also constantly tell me that you love me too.”

“Good; I’d hate for you to forget.” YN tapped the end of Sirius’ nose. “So, what can I do you for today?”

“Darling, you could do me for free. It’d be my pleasure. And yours too.” Sirius winked up the young woman- who also happened to be his girlfriend - as he grabbed her finger and playfully nipped the end of it.

YN rolled her eyes and, with great care, managed to remove the book from beneath Sirius’ head with one hand and allowed Sirius to continue playing with the fingers on her other hand. “You okay, Sirius?” she asked softly, eyes holding a serious look in them.

Sirius considered playing everything off with a joke but decided against it.“Family,” he answered seriously, simply content to hold onto YN’s hand - for now. “What about you? You look exhausted -"

"A compliment every woman wants to hear from her other half."

" - and Lily told James who told Remus who told me that you weren’t sleeping again last night. And I _know_ it wasn't because of me this time.” Sirius couldn't help but grin at his girlfriend and sent her a wink for good measure.

YN groaned, more at her own situation than Sirius' antics. “It’s… family. Just...” YN waved her free hand, the book now safely on a nearby table. "You know."

Sirius kissed the back of YN’s hand, careful to avoid the bruises blossoming across it. “At least we have each other, right?”

“Always.” YN paused. "Or until you annoy me to the point I Apparate myself to some remote part of Peru."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time writing reader insert, first time writing Sirius or any of these characters, first time writing for this entire fandom. I'm probably going to end up adding more chapters with more snapshots and moments between Reader and Sirius and more of a backstory for the Reader too. I say 'probably' as if I don't have a ton of stuff on my Notes app.
> 
> Hit me up on Tumblr if you want to talk. It's idrathershipocs


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conversation between YN and three of the Marauders, at some point during sixth year, in which Sirius is Curious about some rules, James just laughs at Sirius, and Remus is, as always, a long-suffering saint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place towards the beginning of sixth year.
> 
> Also, heeey, I'm back. Sorry, I was teaching at summer camp in the USA since June and I only got back to home soil on Friday afternoon. When my body clock exists and I can't sleep, I write!

Sirius threw himself down onto the sofa, head in his girlfriend’s lap,as he stretched his legs out onto the rest of the sofa.

“Did anybody else want to sit down?” YN asked the rest of the room before she turned her focus onto Sirius and put her book down on the arm of the sofa. “Hello.”

“Hello, gorgeous.”

“You don’t need to flirt with me - we’re already dating.”

"I think the flirting is just part of who he is as a person,” James remarked lightly.

“Like you trying to impress Lily whenever she’s around, hm?” Sirius fired back, a grin on his face when his best friend held up his middle finger. “Anyway, question time, my darling girl.”

Across the room, James retched loudly.

“What’s up?” YN asked.

“Why can’t blokes get into the girls’ dorm?” Sirius asked.

YN gave Sirius a rather dubious look. “You’re not being serious, right?”

“Deadly. I’d quite like to see how your mattress feels once in a while,” Sirius answered with a shrug.

To her credit, YN did not blush. Months of dating Sirius Black did wonders for how much embarrassment a person could take. She didn’t even protest when he all but fondled her in public when the occasional Slytherin - who wasn’t disgusted by her dating a ‘blood traitor’ - gave her a once-over. “Precisely because of comments like _that_ , sweetheart. We’d get no peace if you lads were allowed in our dorm. You’d have James serenading Lily with some piss poor sonnet - no offence - he’s written down by the Black Lake, until Lily would be forced to hex him in order to shut him up. Remus would be reminding you all that your presence is highly frowned upon, and you’d ignore him like you usually do.” YN gave Sirius a look of ‘I told you so’ when Remus made a noise of agreement. “And Peter - where is Peter anyway? - he’d be cowering in the corner, no idea what to do or how to escape, even though he’d be closest to the door. And you, my dear Padfoot?”

“Et moi?” Sirius asked as he batted his eyelashes up at the only woman insane enough to date him. At least, that’s what his family called her, Sirius had found out when he’d walked past Regulus one day. Sirius had told himself he’d never hit his younger brother - it wasn’t all Regulus' fault he was a stupid prick - but when he’d heard the insults come out of his mouth, aimed at YN, well… it had been a good thing YN had been there to stop Sirius from reneging on his promise.

“You’d be finding yourself with a nice old case of ‘Not tonight, you’re giving me a headache’,” YN said sweetly. She smiled at Sirius as James burst into laughter and leaned down to give Sirius a quick kiss to stop him from pouting too much.

“You know certain nighttime activities actually cure headaches?” Sirius asked as he glowered at the back of James’ head. He raised a hand and stroked his fingers along the underside of YN’s jaw and along her cheek. “I’ve certainly never had a headache afterwards.” He smiled when YN pressed a kiss to his palm.

From across the room, Remus piped up. “Most likely because you’ve never had to have a conversation with yourself, Sirius,” he said mildly as he turned to the next page of his book.

James burst out into laughter yet again.

Sirius turned his gaze to Remus, his head still in YN’s lap as he said, “You know, I’m flattered, Remus, but I just don’t see myself going for you. I’ve got everything I need right here.”

Remus stared at Sirius for a moment and then blinked. “That isn’t what I meant at all, Sirius.”

“Isn’t it?” Sirius asked with a roguish grin. He looked back up at YN when she laughed softly. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing.” The faux-innocence in YN’s voice was enough to have Sirius narrow his eyes at her, which only made her amusement grow. “Really, it’s nothing.”

Sirius arched an eyebrow.

“Fine, I’ll tell you later.”

Back across the room, James suddenly stopped laughing and turned his head to look at his best mate’s girlfriend. “Wait, what d’you mean by ‘serenading’? I would _never_ \- How _dare_ you insinuate - What do you -“

Sirius and YN exchanged looks. “Bloody hell,” Sirius muttered. “Do you think he’ll manage to finish a sentence in the next five minutes?”

“Depends when he drags himself out of denial.” YN looked at her watch. “I’ll start timing… _now_.”

“I don’t - What would _I_ even - _Why_ would I -“

Remus just sighed and turned back to his book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in my timeline (lol I have a timeline???) of Sirius and YN's relationship, they get together towards the end of fifth year after some major Drama. YN also knows that Lily thinks James is cute but also a massive arsehole but she also enjoys watching James moon over her cousin, wondering what on Earth he could do to make her like him...
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Updates will hopefully be more frequent now I'm back home.


	3. The Tea Shop, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on this one for ages and I couldn't get to grips with it. I'm happy with it but I know I'll inevitably go back and edit things in a few weeks because improvement is an ever moving thingymajig. Also, it was getting as long as all heck as one chapter, so I've split it up into two.

**Third Year, Early October**

YN sighed as she trudged around Hogsmeade, boots coated in mud, hands stuffed inside her coat.

It really was colder here than in France, especially once the autumn weather really set in. There was a brief explosion of noise as the door to The Three Broomsticks swung open, slamming shut a moment after two people had left.

YN continued down the main street of the village, the lower half of her face covered by her thick scarf.

It was a gift from her father - or, more likely, something that his secretary had picked out.

YN had agreed to meet Lily and Severus outside the tea shop about ten minutes ago but it seemed her cousin was late. In order to keep warm, YN paced up and down a short length of the street.

***

Two teenage boys watched YN from the other side of the street.

“What do you think she’s doing?” Sirius asked James, full of curiosity and not all like a lovestruck teenager making eyes at his crush.

“I can’t even tell who that is,” James told Sirius. “Woolly hat pulled down nearly to their eyebrows, scarf covering them neck to nose.” James snorted. “You’d think it was cold with all the layers they’ve got on.”

“It’s YN. You can tell because of her eyes,” Sirius explained immediately. He'd know her eyes anywhere - he dreamed about them enough.

James looked at his best friend, eyebrows raised. “Spent a lot of time studying her eyes, have we?”

“Shut up.“ Sirius desperately told his cheeks to _stop flushing_ because Merlin knew he didn’t need to give James any more ammunition.

“You _have_! You’ve got a crush!” James declared gleefully. “Honestly, she’s a bit stuck-up for me - a bit too French, if you get what I mean.”

“She’s just shy. That’s what Lily told Remus.” Sirius was quick to jump to YN’s defence, his tone bordering on sharp. “Besides, she’s not French, you idiot - she just lived there for a while.”

“I’m sorry, ‘ _shy_ ’?” James asked derisively. “She told you to ‘fuck off’ the first time she laid eyes on you, mate. That’s not shy!”

“You tell me to fuck off every day of the week and we’re best mates.”

“If this is your way of telling me you have a crush on me too, I should tell you now that I don’t share, so it’s either me or YN. Honestly, Sirius, I was expecting a bit more romance in your confession, a little more -“

“Oh, _fuck off_.”

***

YN perched herself on the edge of the wall outside the tea shop and looked up at it.

 _Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop_.

 _Unfortunate name,_ YN thought to herself as she watched a couple, obviously enamoured with one another, went inside and frowned. A thought hit her - was she here as a third wheel?

Had Lily invited her along to introduce Severus as her _boyfriend_?

YN couldn’t help but shudder and grimace at the thought. Something about that boy made her feel uneasy but every time YN opened her mouth to broach the subject, Lily would go on about how he was such a good friend.

The relative peace and quiet of this less occupied part of the street - mostly because most sane people weren’t still waiting for their cousin in the _freezing cold_ \- was broken by the voices of two boys.

YN turned her head and looked at the boys. Once she identified the two boys, YN suddenly hoped that Lily and Severus did not turn up until after Sirius and James left. YN had already been witness to several arguments between those four.

Or arguments between Lily, James, and Sirius. Or Lily and Sirius. Or Lily and James - honestly, it just seemed like Lily was very defensive when it came to Severus, bordering on feral.

YN blinked as she remembered a time she’d almost had to drag Lily out of the common room during a particularly vicious argument. She blinked again when she noticed that Sirius had stopped and was now waving… at her? YN looked behind her, next to her, all around her before she looked back at Sirius and pointed to herself in question.

Sirius nodded and his wave grew more enthusiastic, almost frantic, like an ecstatic dog wagging their tail.

With no small amount of both confusion and trepidation, YN removed a hand from a coat pocket and waved back.

***

James stopped when he realised Sirius was no longer by his side. “Mate, wh- _what_ are you doing?” he asked when he saw that Sirius had stopped in his tracks. James followed his gaze and rolled his eyes. “Oh, because staring at her on the street is really going to make her fall in love with you,” he muttered under his breath. “Come on, let’s go - we’ve got things to do.”

“Two minutes won’t spoil the plan,” Sirius told his friend firmly before he started to wave at YN. He watched as YN looked around and then pointed at herself. He nodded, a near-manic grin on his face when she waved back. “I’m going to go over and talk to her -“

“What? You ‘talking’ to her will take longer than two minutes,” James hissed as he followed his friend, helpless to do anything else.

“Maybe she’ll tell me to fuck off again and we’ll leave in ten seconds,” Sirius shot back before he stopped in front of YN. “You look cold,” he remarked cheerfully. He watched as YN tugged her scarf down under her chin.

“The Scottish Highlands are a fair bit colder than France,” YN informed Sirius as the cold air began to bite at her cheeks and her nose. She watched as Sirius gave James a triumphant look but decided not to ask. “So. What are you two up to? In fact, where are the rest of you?” YN looked around her, almost as if she expected Remus and Peter to appear from thin air.

“Studying,” Sirius said with a shrug. “What are you doing out here all by yourself?”

A look of irritation passed over YN’s features. “I was supposed to meet Lily and Severus about twenty minutes ago. _Obviously_ , I am here and they are not.” YN motioned to the tea shop. “Honestly, the way this place looks, I’m a little afraid why she set this place as the meeting point.”

Sirius looked over his shoulder and nodded. “Yeah, I would be too.” He opened his mouth to ask YN something else - something to do with the homework set in Divination, which he’d ‘forgotten’ to attend - when James suddenly stormed off in the direction of Zonko’s. “James? Mate, you alright?” Sirius called after his friend.

“Is everything okay?” YN asked with a frown. “You should probably go after him.”

“Yeah.” Sirius nodded. “Meet up with you later?”

YN gave Sirius a flat look. “I’m waiting for Lily and Severus,” she reminded him. “Unless you’d like to join…?”

Sirius made a disgusted noise and turned away to follow James. But not before he threw a bright, “See you later, alligator!” over his shoulder.

YN rolled her eyes and, with a smile she couldn't even fight, said, “Fuck off, Black.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> featuring James Potter can't handle all these MIXED UP FEELINGS (incl. teenage angst and 'omg why doesn't Lily pay attention to me I'm only sh*tty to her and her friend every day'), Sirius 'I Most Definitely Didn't Almost Fall Over My Own Feet When YN SMILED AT ME' Black, and YN 'Done With Everybody, Will Become OverDone if Cousin Is Dating Shady Slytherin Dude' Evans.


	4. The Tea Shop, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part Two of tea shop related things. Will Lily and Severus turn up? What's up with James going into Zonko's? Will YN learn there are nicer greetings than telling somebody to eff off?
> 
> WHO KILLED LAURA PALMER?

YN looked at Severus and Lily over her china teacup as she tried to ignore all the cat memorabilia on the walls. After a few moments of silence, punctuated only by YN taking a deep breath and opening her mouth only to decided she didn't have the words to properly summarise what she had been told, YN finally spoke. “So, you’re telling me you were nearly forty minutes late because you wanted to spy on James Potter and Sirius Black?” YN couldn't even look at the two people sat across from her as she spoke - instead, YN decided to inspect the colour of her tea.

“Well, it was Severus’ idea,” Lily admitted, her tone apologetic. Of course, she'd have to actually apologise later on.

YN looked up at Severus, eyebrows raised. "Oh really?" she asked with a polite smile, reminiscent of a cat that had a mouse well and truly cornered. 

“They’re up to something! They always are!” Severus said with a confidence that made YN sure that he was going to try and get the two boys in trouble. “We just needed proof!”

“And did you get proof? I mean, I nearly froze halfway to death waiting so I’d hope it wasn’t for nothing.” YN took a deep breath and tried to stop herself from getting too passive aggressive. Or just plain aggressive.

“Well, we followed them down from The Three Broomsticks and stopped when they started talking to you,” Lily informed her cousin as she tried to divert YN's focus from Severus - or, more accurately, tried to protect Severus from YN's ire. “And then we saw Potter storm into Zonko’s with a face like a slapped arse. Then Black followed him, like always,” Lily said.

“Can’t imagine what you said to them to make Potter so angry but well done,” Severus said happily. 

“I told them I was waiting for my incredibly late cousin and her friend,” YN said sharply. “Perhaps James Potter simply doesn’t like lateness.” And there went her plan to curb her passive aggression - goodbye, au revoir, toodle loo.

“Which would be believable if he and Black weren’t late to almost every class,” Lily reminded her cousin with a sharpness in her own tone. “Honestly, YN, you don’t know James Potter and Sirius Black like we do. They’re up to something.”

YN didn’t even bother to _try_ and fight back the urge to roll her eyes. “You know what? I need some air and not to be surrounded by pink walls with cats on them and fragrances stronger than Granny's perfume collection. I’m going to - I’ll meet you back at school, alright? Alright.” Without waiting for an answer, YN left the tea shop, rounded the corner and -

And almost walked straight into James Potter as he crouched down on the cobblestones, right next to a pipe that looked to lead right into the shop.

YN blinked.

James blinked back.

"...what?" YN asked, even as her brain screamed at her to not ask questions.

“Just… tying my shoe,” James said with a smile, which usually worked.

YN pinched the bridge of her nose. “If you’re going to build your reputations as masters of mischief, you might want to work on your lying,” YN advised.

James nodded, clearly surprised by YN’s response. “Noted,” he said slowly.

“I’m going to walk away now and pretend I didn’t see -“ YN glanced down when something fell out of James’ pocket. “- anything,” she finished with a sigh as the dungbomb lightly tapped against the toe of her shoe. “Well, there that plan goes.”

James picked the dungbomb back up. “I suppose you’ll be telling a teacher?” he asked sourly. “That’s another bunch of -“

YN scoffed. “After what I just had to sit through in there? Honestly, you could burn that place to the ground and I wouldn’t tell a soul.” YN looked around. "Where's Sir-"

“What’s taking you - Oh! YN. Fancy seeing you here,“ Sirius said with a wide, albeit strained grin. He looked from YN to James, eyes wide with panic.

If YN hadn't been so drained, she might have laughed.

“It’s definitely a nice -“

YN rolled her eyes. “You should stop talking and maybe get away from the scene of the crime before you’re caught in the radius,” YN said as she cut Sirius off. “And if you wanted to make a big finish - or maybe even a big start - levitate that last dungbomb in your pocket down into the chimney. Do it from a distance, of course,” YN advised. “Now, should anybody be in need of an alibi, say, in twenty seconds or so, I’m going to start walking back to school.” YN looked at the dungbombs. "A quick walk," she amended.

***

YN glanced over her shoulder when she heard the horrified screams and shrill screeches as the occupants of Madam Puddifoot’s nearly trampled one another trying to escape the stench. “I wonder what happened there,” she wondered monotonously as she readjusted her scarf.

“No idea,” Sirius said as he walked on YN's right hand side.

“Haven’t the foggiest,” James replied in kind from the other side of YN. “Quiet day in Hogsmeade today, don’t you think?”

Sirius nodded. “Yeah, very uneventful.” Sirius looked down at YN. “Say, YN, why did you leave Madam Puddifoot’s so early?”

YN was quiet for a moment before she decided to tell the two boys the truth. “Because every time Severus Snape opened his mouth, I wondered if I could fit him into a cat-shaped teapot and then throw that teapot into the Black Lake.”

The sound of the two boys chanting  _'One of us, one of us!'_ haunted YN for the next week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen, i'm all for tea shops, and cats, and the colour pink. but separately. i don't need a furball in my teacup, thank you, i don't want to worry about spilling said drink on a cat, and i don't want to worry about what damage said cat would do to the painted pink walls once said drink is spilled upon it.
> 
> also, i'm very aware I thought I would be updating this fic earlier than 2020, like after I got back from USA in September but life and working in retail over Christmas got in the way and now we're here.

**Author's Note:**

> Catch me over on Tumblr at idrathershipocs if you'd like to see what I do when I'm not writing and the stuff I find hilarious.


End file.
